ACLU-D.C. responds to the naming of the new D.C. interim police chief

On Wednesday, Mayor Bowser announced that Jeffrey Carroll will serve as interim police chief following Chief Pamela A. Smith’s departure at the end of the year. The following can be attributed to Monica Hopkins, Executive Director of the ACLU of the District of Columbia:

“D.C. deserves a police chief who will follow the law and respect the constitutional rights of District residents. The appointment of Jeffrey Carroll as interim chief raises serious concerns, given his history as a two-time defendant in ACLU-D.C. First Amendment cases, specifically those stemming from the unprovoked attack on peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators in 2020 and the mass arrests and unconstitutional detention of demonstrators on Inauguration Day 2017. That record raises serious questions about his approach to policing at a moment when D.C. has seen an increase in public protests.

The District needs a public-safety leader who understands that lasting safety requires a balanced, holistic approach—one that respects civil liberties, uses the full range of government resources to promote community well-being, and limits law-enforcement responses to the situations where they are truly necessary. As the District moves forward in selecting its next permanent police chief, the process must be open and transparent, rooted in a firm commitment to constitutional policing and public trust, and include a nationwide search open to all qualified candidates.”